Mentioning Chronic Illness

[highhopes92]

Hello,

I am not sure if this has been talked about before but I need some advice on mentioning chronic illness in secondaries. To preface, I struggled with this illness through out high school and the early years of college but I have had my illness successfully managed for more then a year. Also, I have maintained a very decent GPA, and a full time Schedule of more then 16 credits a semester for all of my time at college.

I did not mention anything in relation to my illness in my primary due to concerns about admissions committees being weary of my health. However, several of my secondaries have mentioned big obstacles that I have over come, and one went so specifically to use chronic illness as an example. I have tried to write about other experiences in my life but everything seems just so fake, mainly because it is. The biggest obstacle I have faced, and one of the biggest reasons I'm pursuing medicine is my illness.


The reason for this post is I want to know if I should write about overcoming my illness when it comes education and work. or if I should just continue with what I have been doing and not mentioning it.

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[tantacles]

Hello,

I am not sure if this has been talked about before but I need some advice on mentioning chronic illness in secondaries. To preface, I struggled with this illness through out high school and the early years of college but I have had my illness successfully managed for more then a year. Also, I have maintained a very decent GPA, and a full time Schedule of more then 16 credits a semester for all of my time at college.

I did not mention anything in relation to my illness in my primary due to concerns about admissions committees being weary of my health. However, several of my secondaries have mentioned big obstacles that I have over come, and one went so specifically to use chronic illness as an example. I have tried to write about other experiences in my life but everything seems just so fake, mainly because it is. The biggest obstacle I have faced, and one of the biggest reasons I'm pursuing medicine is my illness.


The reason for this post is I want to know if I should write about overcoming my illness when it comes education and work. or if I should just continue with what I have been doing and not mentioning it.

I mentioned a chronic illness in my personal statement and secondaries, and I think it's a great way, provided you can write about it eloquently, to justify your interest in medicine. Those with chronic illnesses have unique insight into the challenges of healthcare, and I would encourage you not to shy away from writing about your illness if it's something that makes you more passionate about medicine.

It was asked about at every interview, and it definitely made me into a more desirable applicant the way I framed it.

 

[purplecricket]

I'm struggling disclosing this as well, I have diabetes but currently have a 4.0 in my SMP, so I think as long as you can write about it well and spin it positively and you can show through coursework/MCAT you will prove that it won't hold you back.

 

[ScootL]

I mentioned mine, it explains a lot. I would just be honest

 

[Disinence2]

As long as it doesn't identify you as a high risk applicant go for it!

 

[theseeker4]

Hello,

I am not sure if this has been talked about before but I need some advice on mentioning chronic illness in secondaries. To preface, I struggled with this illness through out high school and the early years of college but I have had my illness successfully managed for more then a year. Also, I have maintained a very decent GPA, and a full time Schedule of more then 16 credits a semester for all of my time at college.

I did not mention anything in relation to my illness in my primary due to concerns about admissions committees being weary of my health. However, several of my secondaries have mentioned big obstacles that I have over come, and one went so specifically to use chronic illness as an example. I have tried to write about other experiences in my life but everything seems just so fake, mainly because it is. The biggest obstacle I have faced, and one of the biggest reasons I'm pursuing medicine is my illness.


The reason for this post is I want to know if I should write about overcoming my illness when it comes education and work. or if I should just continue with what I have been doing and not mentioning it.

The first question is, if it is a psychiatric illness, do NOT discuss it, at all. Too much bias and worry about you potentially cracking under the pressures of med school.

If it is not psychiatric, is it something that is chronic and degenerative, or is the illness something that you have, in fact, overcome (have very little risk of relapse/recurrence, etc.)? If the latter, it is probably pretty safe to mention, relatively speaking. If the former, and the disease is known to be chronic and degenerative, even if you are in remission, it MAY hurt you, depending on the adcom.

If you really can't write a good essay about anything else, you might as well take your chances, but if there is anything that you can write about to avoid disclosing your condition, you should consider that. You just never know whether it will hurt you or not.

 

[tantacles]

If it is not psychiatric, is it something that is chronic and degenerative, or is the illness something that you have, in fact, overcome (have very little risk of relapse/recurrence, etc.)? If the latter, it is probably pretty safe to mention, relatively speaking. If the former, and the disease is known to be chronic and degenerative, even if you are in remission, it MAY hurt you, depending on the adcom.

I had the exact opposite experience. I have a chronic illness that is ultimately degenerative, and again, it made me a more fit applicant at many of the schools I applied to because of the way I framed it.

It's all about how you tell your story.

 

[NYCNative]

Definitely mention it. Talk about the insights you have gained from your experience of medicine from the patient / family perspective.

 

[theseeker4]

I had the exact opposite experience. I have a chronic illness that is ultimately degenerative, and again, it made me a more fit applicant at many of the schools I applied to because of the way I framed it.

It's all about how you tell your story.

Depends entirely on the disease, how you sell it, and the adcoms who read about it/interview you. I am just pointing out it is a risk to discuss it.

 

[tantacles]

Depends entirely on the disease, how you sell it, and the adcoms who read about it/interview you. I am just pointing out it is a risk to discuss it.

It absolutely is a risk. However, I got interviews at schools that, because of my statistics, shouldn't have even given me a second look. Even so, I would argue that if you frame it well, it's much more likely to be a strengthener of your application than a liability.

 

[highhopes92]

Thank you for your advice, and while I highly dislike the stigma if I had a psychological disorder I would a 100% not be mentioning it. I have decided to write about it when secondaries specifically ask what obstacles I have overcome in my life, but shy away from offering up unless asked.

I just hope I am decent enough at explaining and talking about it that it comes across the way I want it to

 

[deleted303591]

Don't mention it.

I have to mention mine as it has required me to take medical withdrawal several times from university.

Mentioning you have problems in general is a problem on apps.

 

[tantacles]

Don't mention it.

I have to mention mine as it has required me to take medical withdrawal several times from university.

Mentioning you have problems in general is a problem on apps.

Again, it really does not have to be a problem; it's all in how you frame it. I have a serious medical condition, and I spoke about it in my personal statement. I have taken zero time off from school.

Again, OP, I'm not saying that you should definitely mention your illness, but it can definitely be an asset rather than a liability if you can explain it well.

 

[deleted303591]

Again, it really does not have to be a problem; it's all in how you frame it. I have a serious medical condition, and I spoke about it in my personal statement. I have taken zero time off from school.

Again, OP, I'm not saying that you should definitely mention your illness, but it can definitely be an asset rather than a liability if you can explain it well.

That does not apply if the illness is serious enough, which will draw questions from the AdComs

 

[tantacles]

That does not apply if the illness is serious enough, which will draw questions from the AdComs

"Serious enough" is pretty much defined, to me, as something that has a high probability of causing you not to be able to get through your education without accommodations so great that they're unreasonable.

If you're able to make it through college in four years with grades that are good enough for medical school, your condition is, by definition, not "serious enough" to merit suspicion from an admissions committee just by virtue of its name. Adcoms recognize that different diseases have different presentations just as physicians do, and the presence of a medical condition will almost certainly not impact your application negatively unless that condition caused significant impairment to the point that you could not finish your studies in a normal time frame.

Cystic Fibrosis, which is what I have, can be a pretty severe condition, and admissions committees looked upon me favorably because I elaborated what I brought to the table, including my illness, extremely positively. I have mediocre stats and received interviews from 7/30 of the schools I applied to; CF was mentioned in my personal statement, so there is no chance that it was simply overlooked.

 

[deleted303591]

"Serious enough" is pretty much defined, to me, as something that has a high probability of causing you not to be able to get through your education without accommodations so great that they're unreasonable.

If you're able to make it through college in four years with grades that are good enough for medical school, your condition is, by definition, not "serious enough" to merit suspicion from an admissions committee just by virtue of its name. Adcoms recognize that different diseases have different presentations just as physicians do, and the presence of a medical condition will almost certainly not impact your application negatively unless that condition caused significant impairment to the point that you could not finish your studies in a normal time frame.

Cystic Fibrosis, which is what I have, can be a pretty severe condition, and admissions committees looked upon me favorably because I elaborated what I brought to the table, including my illness, extremely positively. I have mediocre stats and received interviews from 7/30 of the schools I applied to; CF was mentioned in my personal statement, so there is no chance that it was simply overlooked.

Ok, I guess you are right about that. But I would be very reluctant to disclose in my particular situation. Basically the only publications on the disease I have are research and now a book chapter in a book about the autonomic nervous system.

I have a form of autoimmune autonomic neuropathy (more specifically, ganglionopathy), that I am receiving chemo for as a form of immunosuppression. I have not completed any courses in 2 years due to my health and consequences from treatment, such as sepsis.

I have also took medical withdrawal 4 times from university, but only one time after I was diagnosed with this particular illness, due to the sepsis incident.

I also have more minor health problems, such as type 1 diabetes, that I would be less reluctant to disclose.

 

[tantacles]

Ok, I guess you are right about that. But I would be very reluctant to disclose in my particular situation. Basically the only publications on the disease I have are research and now a book chapter in a book about the autonomic nervous system.

I have a form of autoimmune autonomic neuropathy (more specifically, ganglionopathy), that I am receiving chemo for as a form of immunosuppression. I have not completed any courses in 2 years due to my health and consequences from treatment, such as sepsis.

I have also took medical withdrawal 4 times from university, but only one time after I was diagnosed with this particular illness, due to the sepsis incident.

I also have more minor health problems, such as type 1 diabetes, that I would be less reluctant to disclose.

I can understand why you would be reluctant to disclose, and I certainly didn't mean to imply that my condition was somehow worse than yours in any way. I think you have to do what's right for you on your application, but having gone through this process successfully (and even spoken to some physicians about this very issue with regard to residency applications), I have to say that as long as your academic record doesn't raise any red flags in and of itself, the condition will generally be seen as a positive if you explain it well. I would make a strong bet that in a hypothetical scenario where you didn't miss any school, mentioning your condition in your secondaries could be extremely positive.

 

[deleted303591]

I can understand why you would be reluctant to disclose, and I certainly didn't mean to imply that my condition was somehow worse than yours in any way. I think you have to do what's right for you on your application, but having gone through this process successfully (and even spoken to some physicians about this very issue with regard to residency applications), I have to say that as long as your academic record doesn't raise any red flags in and of itself, the condition will generally be seen as a positive if you explain it well. I would make a strong bet that in a hypothetical scenario where you didn't miss any school, mentioning your condition in your secondaries could be extremely positive.

Oh, you're a really amazing individual, for disclosing your illness on your app and for just being cool on this forum. CF takes a lot of work, time, and commitment in terms of treatment. I don't know anyone who has CF, and I couldn't imagine all that you have to go through.

You don't need to defend your posts.

Thank you for your advice.